HUSSEY, Sir Thomas, 2nd Bt. (1639-1706), of Doddington, Lincs.

Hussey’s father, the elder brother of Charles Hussey, was returned to the Long Parliament for Grantham, but died before his political sympathies could be demonstrated. Hussey succeeded to an estate of about £2,500 p.a., and took up residence at Doddington, some five miles from Lincoln. He welcomed the Restoration, contributing £60 towards a loan to the King. He stood for the county in 1665 at the by-election occasioned by his uncle’s death, and again after the dissolution of the Cavalier Parliament, but was twice defeated by Sir Robert Carr. In August 1679 he was said to be ‘hovering’ over both county and city, finally withdrawing in favour of Henry Monson. He defeated Monson at Lincoln in 1681, finishing at the head of the poll, but left no trace on the records of the Oxford Parliament. He moved up to a county seat in 1685, but in James II’s Parliament he was appointed only to the committees to consider expiring laws and to establish a land registry. A speech sometimes attributed to him on the standing army was probably delivered by Thomas Howard. He was listed by Danby as a member of the Opposition, but in January 1688 the Earl of Lindsey (Robert Bertie I) expected him to stand for re-election against the Whig Sir William Ellys. He gave the same negative answer as his old rival Monson on the repeal of the Test Act and Penal Laws, and was removed from local office.3Keeler, Long Parl. 226-7; Her. and Gen. ii. 122; Cole, 101; The News, 12 Jan. 1665; BL, M636/32, John to Sir Ralph Verney, 19 Feb. 1679; Spencer mss, Hickman to Halifax, 15 Aug. 1679.

Hussey was among the last of the Lincolnshire magnates to join the Revolution. On 11 Dec. Lindsey wrote: ‘If Sir Thomas Hussey wed the cause, his interest will do much to make this country unanimous’. Re-elected to the Convention, but again inactive, he did not vote to agree with the Lords that the throne was not vacant, and he was probably a court Tory. Of his six committees, the most important were in the second session, those for the second mutiny bill and reversing Walcot’s attainder. He remained a Tory under William III, though he did not refuse to sign the Association in 1696. He died on 19 Dec. 1706, and was buried at Honington.4HMC 11th Rep. VII, 28.